Read Pucker Up (A Damsels of Distress Novel) Online
Authors: R. A. Gates
Pucker Up (A Damsels of Distress Novel) (38 page)
his eyes shining in a way she didn’t find
so appealing anymore. “You are going to
become my vampire queen.”
Disgust twisted her stomach.
“The hell I am!”
Only a queen could turn a living,
warm-blooded Bane into an abomination
of the undead. Although she was
dedicated to helping the magical
community she was now a part of, being
the mother of all vampires was going too
far. Karma could kiss her ass.
“During the next full moon,”
Sebastian continued. “You will become
the most powerful being to walk the
Earth.”
Garren pushed her behind him as
he stepped up to Sebastian. His palms
faced the vampire. “Leave her alone.”
His hands jerked as he sent a shield, but
it dissipated as soon as it touched its
target, falling to the floor like a mist.
Prince Sebastian laughed. “Your
magic is no match for me now.” He
turned to Zoo and said, “Kill him.”
“No!” Ivy screamed as anger,
fear, and magic swelled inside her. Zoo
lunged at Garren. With a strength she
didn’t know she had, she pushed Garren
out of the way before the vampire could
get his claws on him. “Get out of here!”
Zoo stopped short before running
into Ivy. He snarled as he said, “Do not
interfere.”
Her whole body vibrated like a
tuning fork as she fought to hold her
magic in. With the added power she
received from the bonding, it was too
much for her to control for long. Every
cell in her body ached. She struggled to
hold on a little longer as she listened for
her friends’ footsteps to fade away.
When the door slammed behind her, she
focused on the vampires standing smugly
in front of her. They weren’t going to
fool her a second time.
“You just pissed off the wrong
girl
.
” Like a scene she’d seen play out in
her nightmare’s night after night, she let
go and her magic exploded from her
body like an atomic bomb, flattening
everything around her. The vampires
were blasted across the room while Ivy
hurled backward, hitting the wall. Her
head bounced against the paneling as she
slumped to the floor. The building shook
and pieces of the ceiling fell to the floor.
Dust filled the room, aggravating her
lungs with every heaving breath.
Pain radiated from the back of
her skull, throbbing in rhythm to her
heartbeat. Tears gathered at the corners
of her eyes as she pried them open. She
squinted through the haze to survey the
damage. Since the old bedroom was
already falling apart when they got there,
it only appeared a little more so.
That went well
.
Across the room, an unconscious
Sebastian was half buried under a pile
of rubble. Zoo lay not far from him. The
prince wasn’t dead since she was still
breathing, but she didn’t know how long
he would be out. Loud creaks and
shifting walls warned her to leave
before the building crashed down.
Gritting her teeth to ignore the sharp pain
slicing through her head, she crawled
over the scattered debris to get to the
door. Small pieces of wood and brick
dug into her palms and knees.
I have to
get out of here.
Just then, the door flung open
with a bang and a dark angel appeared in
the doorway. Garren took in the room
before locking his gaze on her. “I can’t
take you anywhere. First you break the
plane and now this.” He gestured to the
mess with a wide sweep of his arm, a
small smile tugging at the corner of his
mouth. He swooped down and gathered
her up. “I’ve got you,” he whispered.
“Thane and the old broad are waiting for
us.”
His strong arms cradled her to
his chest and all the tension and buzzing
magic seemed to fade away, leaving her
calm and content. Even her headache
receded to a dull pounding. She dropped
her head down to rest on his shoulder.
“Don’t even think that you’re rescuing
me. I’m no damsel in distress.”
“I would never accuse you of
being a damsel.”
As he carried her out of the
room, a low moan rose from beneath the
fallen bricks and pieces of ceiling. It
reached her ears and clawed down her
spine, settling like poison in her gut.
This isn’t over yet.
Acknowledgements
Writing this book was by no
means a one person effort. I have many
people to thank for helping me along the
way. René, my first writing buddy; Sarah
for the beautiful cover art and beta
reading; Kody, Karen, and Jenny for beta
reading; my Witchy Writers and
Stonehenge pals for all your critiques
and feedback. And of course my family
for putting up with my craziness. Thank
you Cameron, Monica, Paul and Angela.
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